Feral: Book One by Velvet DeHaven Page B

complicated.
    “Please, do not thank me for taking care of you,” he said. “I only wish for your sake that it was not necessary. I can assure you my plans for this evening were not to be attending to your aches and bruises, for which I apologize immensely. Indeed, I am very surprised that you have not entered a full-blown panic and demanded to be taken home.”
    “Too tired,” I managed to breathe out through a labored laugh. “Maybe tomorrow.”
    I was stunned when he scooped me up with ease, lifting me as if I weighed no more than a feather, though I supposed I shouldn’t have been—he had admitted to being a vampire, after all. I wound my arms around his neck while he carried me from his library, down a hall and to a room with naked, powder-blue walls and a bed with a thick, midnight-colored comforter.
    As soon as I was resting comfortably, he disappeared and returned after a few short moments with two blue capsules and a tall glass of milk—it wasn’t chocolate, but given he was in fact a vampire, I wasn’t really expecting it. Why did a vampire have milk anyway? Then again, why did a vampire have Tylenol of any kind?
    The questions went unasked as I took the pills without reservation, and this seemed to be surprise him. “You haven’t given me a reason not to trust you yet, but you have to promise we’ll talk about this tomorrow.” I heard him agree, and had just closed my eyes when they popped back open. “My father. I need—” a yawn split my words— “I need to call my father.”
    I could have sworn I heard him say it had been taken care of, and I wondered how he had managed to accomplish that. I tried to ask, but my tongue was heavy, and I was already slipping into unconsciousness.

SIX
     
     
    I woke what I assumed was a few hours later to pitch black and panic seized me.
    “Calm,  mio tesoro.  You are safe.” The sound of Simon’s voice soothed my fear, and I struggled to sit up, but he stopped me with a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I would imagine,” he said, rich tone coming from above and to the right of me, “that even after such a deep slumber, you still have a headache, not to mention others. I could give you some more Tylenol-three if you would like.”
    “No, thank you,” I mumbled, relaxing back into the comfy mattress. “Although, regular Tylenol would be nice.”
    “Certo.”
    I felt the bed shift when he left, and blinked when a lamp light clicked on less than two seconds later. “Wow. Wasn’t expecting it that fast.” He didn’t respond, not that I really expected him to, and I waited several minutes after taking the gel-caps before asking him anything. “Where’s Cole?”
    “Kendal is escorting him to an older, knowledgeable clan in New York,” he said, his words measured. “The city is much more hospitable to our breed.” He went silent and stayed quiet for so long I had to prod him to speak, and the smile he offered was pained. “I am afraid you have a contusion covering a large portion of your left cheek. It is…noticeable.” 
    “That’s your polite way of saying it looks god-awful,” I groused. “And how am I supposed to explain this anyway?”
    “The truth,” he stated. “You were out with some friends, your ex attempted to start a fight, and in the commotion, you were injured. If anyone needs details, say you were accidentally shoved into a table rather than a sofa.”
    “And Cole,” I blurted suddenly. “He attacked you because of me?”
    His face lost any traces of playfulness and his expression became cold, his eyes remorseful. “I was very much aware that Colton seemed determined to regain contact with his partner from his human life, but never once did I hear him mention your name. I can assure you if Kendal had been remotely aware of Colton’s objectives, he would have alerted me immediately. I suspect, given Kendal’s place in Colton’s former life, Mister Malver felt it would be prudent to refrain from speaking of anyone from